"Aha!", "Eureka!", "What-da-ya-know"... or just plain "hmmm." Whatever we call it, it’s that single, magical moment when things just make sense; when that block that seemed to confuse and confound us suddenly seems small and insignificant. There’s that sudden rush of excitement, filled with relief and enthusiasm. Then comes the inevitable...

"Um, Now what?"

Congratulations!! We are about to embark on a whole new journey of life. We just experienced a moment that either solidified the direction we were already heading, or perhaps will change the course of our lives forever. We had a moment of realization that not only "makes sense" now but brings insight to a whole bunch of stuff that happened in the past. Now, before we move on with the next course of our life, here're a few things to pause and ponder:

Compare then and now
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How does this "moment of sense" compare to the "moment of confusion" just before it? Do I feel "lighter"? Do things suddenly seem to just fit? Or at the very least, does it make it a bit easier to handle?

This will help us understand the significance of the "a-ha" moment.

Sharpen hindsight
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We don't just happen upon "a-ha" moments... a long line of events in the the past brought us to this one moment. So let's reflect upon that past. Think of as many OTHER moments there were, and use this new "vision" to review how we look back upon our past. The more time we take now to do this, the more solid the "a-ha" moment will become a part of our lives.

Evaluate the a-ha moment itself
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Really scrutinize it. Maybe it was a misunderstanding and we just thought we got it. A bad "a-ha" can quickly turn into an "ut-oh" moment; wasting a lot of time. Yet analyzing a bad "a-ha" can actually lead us to a really good "a-ha"; so it's worth looking into.

Set the course
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New realizations can take us to amazing places; they can also mislead us if we just let them be. Now is the time to imagine all the directions we can go with this new "map." This will give us freedom of choice.

Be open to more
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This could be the first of many "a-ha's"... some of which might be even bigger than the first. So with that in mind, it's time to keep an open mind... and let Life offer up all of its many wondrous surprises.

Author's Bio: 

Stuart Rosen has been known as "Gurustu" since the last millenium. His chapter, "Power of Thanks" appears in volume one of "101 Great Ways to Improve Your Life". He has had a radio show in Los Angeles, a book of sayings ("Lil Words O'Wisdom") and hundreds of articles and cartoons gathered on his website, gurustu.com.